WWE Battleground Battle Royal Will Be Enhanced by a Number of Subplots

The WWE Battleground Battle Royal will be more than a way to decide the next WWE Intercontinental Championship; it will be a swirling pool of bad blood.

WWE has wisely filled the upcoming title bout with a variety of subplots that give it the potential to be a standout part of the pay-per-view. Cesaro's stumbling, Bo Dallas' long list of enemies and the possibility that only one midcard title will remain are the narrative elements that boost the match.

Monday's Raw helped add to these stories and more.

Much of the show aimed to hype the Fatal 4-Way, but the company made sure the IC title Battle Royal got some love as well. Announcers mentioned it often, and the wrestlers involved in it clashed again and again.

Rather than just toss all of the roster's leftovers into a single match, WWE has done well to make sure that rivals are looking for revenge as well as a chance to hold the championship. 

As of this writing, the following Superstars are Battle Royal entrants:

• Cesaro
• Kofi Kingston
• Damien Sandow
• The Great Khali
• Rob Van Dam
• Dolph Ziggler
• Big E
• Ryback
• Curtis Axel
• Alberto Del Rio
• Bo Dallas
• Sheamus
• Fandango
• Sin Cara
• Zack Ryder
• The Miz
• Adam Rose
• Diego
• R-Truth
• Xavier Woods
• Heath Slater
• Titus O'Neil

That field is likely to grow. Even as it stands now, though, there are a number of compelling dynamics at work, including what would normally be a throwaway feud in Ziggler vs. Fandango.

The Showoff Cutting In

Fandango may be too focused on one man to win at Battleground. Ziggler knocked him off on Monday's Raw but more importantly celebrated his victory by dancing with Fandango's former dance partners.

They became former partners after last Friday's SmackDown when Layla and Summer Rae stopped fighting each other and started clawing at the ballroom dancer instead.

This now sends Fandango into the Battle Royal fueled by jealousy and desperation. He is without a dance partner and will likely blame Ziggler for that rather than himself.

There will be plenty of animosity between foes in this upcoming match, but there's a personal nature to Fandango vs. Ziggler. That is likely to lead to some added intensity between them.

Familiar Faces for Dallas

Dallas will meet several men he has defeated and annoyed when he steps between the ropes at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Woods, Khali, Sin Cara, Diego, Fandango and Kingston have all fallen victim to the would-be motivational speaker.

It wasn't just that he bested these Superstars; it was the grin he wore afterward, the victory lap he took around the ring and the condescending way he treated his opponents that will have them looking for payback.

He has been knocking around Diego's partner El Torito as of late, including crashing into him during a victory lap. Diego is slightly more significant in this match now that he has Dallas to go after.

That is true for Khali as well.

Dallas defeated the giant on Monday's Raw by count-out. He made the loss worse by calling him "big buddy" and talking down to him.

Khali will be one of many men with added motivation to send Dallas flying over the ropes. That will make for intriguing viewing, especially the longer that Dallas survives.

Possible Unification

Sheamus has promised to win the Battle Royal and merge the IC title with the United States Championship.

That provides some intrigue in that if The Celtic Warrior wins, it not only crowns a new champ but creates a unified championship. WWE hasn't fused those two midcard belts together since Edge defeated Test at the 2001 Survivor Series.

In order to accomplish that, though, Sheamus has to go through a surprising obstacle—The Miz.

The star of The Marine 4 pinned Sheamus on Monday's Raw. It was a fluky victory, but it'll be hard to convince The Miz that. He heads into the Battle Royal with added confidence—not that he needed it.

Sheamus will have a chance to make up for the loss on Tuesday's Main Event when he and The Miz collide again. WWE pitting them against each other so soon hints at a rivalry blooming at the Battle Royal and beyond.

The Losing Streak

Motivation won't be an issue for Cesaro come Battleground.

He enters the bout with plenty to prove. Kingston pinned The King of Swing twice in recent weeks, first on the June 30 Raw and then again on the July 7 Raw. Big E, who has recently befriended Kingston, took on Cesaro on Monday's edition of the show.

Kingston prevented Cesaro from smashing his buddy with a chair, and Big E added another loss to Cesaro's record.

The Battle Royal will host all three men. Cesaro can redeem himself by tossing over both of his foes, or his struggles could continue. Should Kingston be the one to eliminate him, the Swiss strongman is likely to go on a rampage.

Cesaro's anger and focus will add to the match. So often, the early part of a Battle Royal lacks spark. That won't be the case should Cesaro be in uppercutting range of either Kingston or Big E.

The partnership forming between those two former IC champs is a subplot of its own.

Colluding and Colliding

The Battle Royal field is rife with allies.

Ryback and Axel, Truth and Woods, Slater and O'Neil, Big E and Kingston are all partners to varying levels. That means that they could work together to oust the competition, but eventually it will mean that potential championship glory will get in the way of friendship.

Slater and O'Neil were supposed to face The Usos on Monday's Raw, but an ambush from The Wyatt Family made sure the match didn't happen. In an interview backstage, the newly formed tag team bickered.

They may be ready to either start throwing fists at each other in the Battle Royal or patch things up enough to work together.

That's one of many uncertainties heading into the match. Fans will see just how strong these teams' bonds are and if any of them will implode. Slater and O'Neil aren't normally relevant and could have just been used as filler.

Instead, their story is one of the many that promise to interweave throughout the Battle Royal.